I'm Sioux Roslawski and this is my blog about writing, dogs, grown-up children, menopause, the joy of a marvelous book, classroom teaching in general, and specifically, the teaching of writing. You can email me at sroslawski(at)yahoo(dot)com.

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Saturday, May 17, 2014

When my brother and I were growing up, our mom regularly baked cakes and batches of brownies. Inevitably, we'd end up with one last piece of cake or one solitary brownie left. And every time, my brother and I would both want that last portion of dessert. My mother settled the problem in the only equitable way, and she didn't learn it from her mom. My mom was an only child, so she must have dreamed up the perfect solution on her own. My mom would have one of us divide the piece of cake or the brownie in half; the other one would get to choose first. It alternated. When it was my turn, I would get a mental ruler in place, because I didn't want to give my brother an extra crumb. Neither one of us ever complained, because it was extremely fair.What advice or lesson did you learn from your mom that stuck with you over the years?

(This is a picture of my birth mother, Imogene Gann, who taught me a completely different lesson than my mom, a lesson that changed my entire life. When the "Listen to Your Mother" videos come out on Youtube, you'll have to watch mine to find out how she changed my life.)

Monday, May 12, 2014

Never say you would never fill a puppymill's pockets with money...if it means getting dogs out of the breeding-reproducing cycle--forever.Never say you would never write a novel-length manuscript, and you would also never share your writing in an auditorium...you just might have a story that's begging to get out.Never say you will never get another puppy...because you might encounter a litter of 11 Goldens, and they melt your heart.

We are still in the thinking/vacillating stage--I think--but bythe end of the month, we will have decided yes or no and if it'sa yes, we will pick out a rescued puppy to adopt...and then, heaven help us!What was the last time you said "never" and then you had to eat your words?